Dawn Editorials & Opinions

25th December
DAWN
2021
EDITORIALS

Urdu meaning by:

Hameed Syed
Reviewed by: Fahad
Munir

Page 1 of 5
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 Dawn Editorials & Opinions
Booster shot
December 25, 2021
IN a welcome move, Pakistani authorities
have decided to extend the Covid-19
vaccine booster to all adults ‫ بالغوں‬of 30
years and above. According to a recent
NCOC decision, those in this category
will be able to get free booster shots of
their choice from Jan 1. Earlier, only
people above 50 or those with
compromised ‫ سمجھووہ شدم‬immunity ‫قوتش‬
‫ مم فعتم‬could receive booster jabs of the
vaccine they had been immunised ‫حفاظتیش‬
‫ے‬
‫ ٹیکےشلگماےےشئےےشہو ش‬with. But as several
people couldn’t travel easily because a
number of countries let in only those who
had been administered ‫ لگاےیشئےی‬vaccines
approved by them, the government here
decided to allow people to receive
booster jabs of their choice, irrespective
‫ قطعشنظر‬of the vaccine they were initially
administered. At a time when the
Omicron variant is spearheading ‫ےش‬ ‫ہیزیشس ش‬
‫ بڑھشرہا‬a potential fifth wave of infections
in Europe, the decision taken by Pakistan
will also provide some degree of
protection to people, including those who
had already been inoculated but who may
once again be vulnerable to the virus as
the efficacy ‫ فعممممما ممممم‬of vaccines
administered months ago tapers off.‫کمشہونا‬
In fact, the Omicron variant is said to be
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highly transmissible ‫ قممابممتش مم متم م می‬even in
people who have been vaccinated.
It is true that the WHO says the Omicron
variant is a consequence ‫ نتیھ‬of vaccine
inequality, and has warned that “no
country can boost its way out of the
pandemic”. It says that booster shots
might prolong ‫ طمو ش ش سمممممکمتمےش ہمیم‬the
pandemic as developed nations divert
vaccine supplies away from the countries
that need them most. This statement came
in response to the recently announced
booster programmes in the US and Israel.
However, Pakistan’s case appears to be
quite different. While it can hardly be
ranked among those who hoard ‫زخیر شکرنا‬
vaccines, it has managed to inoculate ‫ٹیک ش‬
‫ لمممگمممانممما‬millions, the vaccine hesitancy
‫ ہچکچاہٹ‬in the population notwithstanding
‫فسش کمممےش بممما مممو‬. The NCOC’s diligent
efforts ‫ مح تیشکا دمی‬have been paying off
‫ ثمممجمممر ممما ش ہممموش رہمممی‬with over 63m fully
vaccinated and more than 90m having
received a single dose. It must continue
with its efforts to speed up regular Covid-
19 vaccination alongside ‫سممممممممماہمممممو‬
administering booster shots.
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021
Opposition’s elation ‫ی‬
‫خود ش‬
December 25, 2021
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 Dawn Editorials & Opinions
THE trouncing ‫ دممک مم‬of the PTI in the
first phase of local government elections
has come as a significant blow ‫بڑفش ھچکا‬
to the ruling party. As a result of the
setback, the prime minister is now keenly
focused on avoiding an upset in the
upcoming Punjab polls, and is said to be
personally ‫ ذفہممممیش طممممورش ممممر‬overseeing
preparations. The JUI-F emerged ‫ فبوری‬as
the big winner in the KP polls, bagging
‫ے‬
‫ کامیابیشحاصمتشکرہےشہوے ش‬17 out of 47 tehsil
councils and leaving the PTI with 12. The
development ‫ یشمممرع‬has created a wave
of optimism ‫ فمی شکیشلہر‬in opposition ranks
at a time when the so-called ‫ نامشنہا‬anti-
government drive exists only in name.
Months of protests against the
government by the PDM and vows ‫ عزم‬to
resign from the assemblies, plus
declarations of long marches, have hardly
dented ‫ مممم م ش کمیمےش ہمیم‬the PTI’s morale
‫ے‬
‫حوص ش‬. But since the LG polls this week,
the opposition leaders are ecstatic. ‫ر وش‬
Maulana Fazlur Rehman has boasted ‫عخرش‬
‫ے‬
‫ کیاشہ ش‬that his JUI-F is the largest political
force in the province; Asif Ali Zardari has
hinted ‫ے‬ ‫ فدمممممار ش مماشہ ش‬that those devising
‘minus-one formulae’ are asking for help,
though he said no talks would be held
‫ کوےیشباتشنہی شہوئی‬until the PTI is ousted.
‫ نمہمیم ش نمکمما ش مماہمما‬And Shehbaz Sharif has
dubbed ‫ے‬ ‫ قمرفرش مماش ہم ش‬the KP polls as the
“beginning of the end of an experiment
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that has cost the nation dearly ‫”بہ شز ا‬.
Though they are riding on the recent
wave of the JUI-F’s success and PTI’s
defeat in the KP polls, the reality is that
the ruling party’s losses have more to do
with its own failings than any intelligent
strategy of the opposition.
Uncontrolled inflation, a poor economic
performance, unemployment, and water
and gas shortages have plagued ‫ن صمممما ش‬
‫ ہ چمما مما‬the PTI in both the long and the
short term, cementing ‫ے‬ ‫ مضممممکوطشکرن ش‬the
impression that the party is far from the
days of its peak confidence in the
aftermath of the 2018 polls. The fiasco
‫ نماکمامی‬in KP was due to both low party
morale ‫ے‬ ‫ حوصممم ش‬and the selection of the
wrong candidates as admitted by the PM
himself. Furthermore, it is said that it was
a PTI vs PTI showdown, betraying ‫ھوک ش‬
‫ے‬
‫ش‬ that the KP poll strategy itself was in
disarray. ‫بےشہرہیکی‬
Though the opposition has obviously
‫ فضحشطورش ر‬benefited ‫ے‬ ‫ عاے شہوفشہ ش‬from this
lack of planning and low morale, ‫ممم ش‬
‫ حوصممم‬their own strategies and internal
wrangling ‫ فن ر نیش وگڑ ش‬give little hope
for something impactful to come next.
The PTI’s infighting has caused serious
damage, but the PDM’s quarrelling ‫وگڑف‬
with the PPP and the PML-N’s leadership
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 Dawn Editorials & Opinions

crisis still persist. ‫ے‬ ‫ برقرفرشہ ش‬It is perhaps
too soon for the opposition to rejoice,
‫ خممموشش ہمممونممما‬even as the ruling party is
smarting ‫ ہک یفشمی‬from its recent defeat.
Overcoming the political friction
between opposition parties and finding a
lasting ‫ مممرش ممما‬solution to the Maryam
Nawaz vs Shehbaz Sharif crisis is no
mean feat ‫کمممارنمممامم م‬. The PTI may be
fumbling ‫ بمممےش ہمممرہمممیم م‬due to its own
mistakes, but the truth is that the
opposition parties remain mired ‫فلممھمموممیش‬
‫ ہوےیشہی‬in problems of their own making.
Unless they get their act together, their
current elation ‫ مموشش ش خممر ش‬will fizzle
out ‫ ختمشہوش مماےےشئمما‬as quickly as did the
‘power show’ of the PDM.
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021
Funding review
December 25, 2021
THE government on Thursday said the
IMF executive board will take up the
sixth review of its suspended $6bn
funding programme for approval ‫م ظوری‬
on Jan 12. That means the country can
expect the resumption ‫ بمحممالمی‬of funding
latest by the end of next month, followed
by the immediate transfer of the two
pending tranches ‫ ق ممممطی‬of $1bn to the
State Bank. Ideally, the announcement
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should have revitalised ‫بحما شکرنماشہماہےےشہوما‬
the market and ended uncertainty about
future government policies. But it has
not. The markets are apparently ‫بممظمماہممر‬
more focused on the government’s ability
to get the National Assembly’s approval
for the supplementary finance bill, 2021,
and controversial ‫ مت مازعم‬changes in the
State Bank Act, two of the five prior
actions Islamabad has agreed to before
the IMF’s executive board revives ‫بحما ش‬
‫ کرنا‬its funding programme.
A report early this week had revealed
‫ فنکشمماکشکیاشہوا‬that the federal cabinet had
deferred ‫ موخرشکرش یشہوی‬approval of both
the supplementary finance bill and the
suggested changes in the SBP law
because of political reasons. It has now
transpired ‫ قوعش ذ رشہوف‬that there are strong
differences of opinion within the PTI
over new tax measures being introduced
through the finance bill in the wake ‫سش‬
‫ م ظرشمی‬of the party’s battering ‫ دمک م‬in
the first phase of local government
elections in KP where voters showed
their frustration ‫ ما وسمممی‬with the PTI for
not curbing ‫ے‬ ‫ ر کم م م م ش‬the rising cost of
living. Many in the party believe that
putting greater financial burden ‫ بو مو‬on
the people through an increase in taxes
could be suicidal ‫ خو شکشممممیشکےشمترف ک‬in
terms of future elections. The party’s
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 Dawn Editorials & Opinions

allies ‫ فہحا ی‬are also reluctant ‫ہذبذ شکاشدکار‬

to support the inflationary ‫مہ گماےیشسممممےش‬
‫ ممتمتم م‬measures proposed in the bill for
fear of a political backlash ‫ سیاسیشر عجت‬in
Punjab and elsewhere. As far as the bill
— which will free the central bank from
the influence of fiscal authorities and
politicians on matters concerning the
exchange rate and monetary policy — is
concerned, the security establishment is
believed to be wary of unfettered
autonomy ‫ بےشلگامشخو مختاری‬for the bank
and its management. It goes without
saying that the opposition has already
pledged ‫ے‬ ‫ عہ شکیاشہ ش‬to resist ‫ مزفحج شکرنا‬the
passage of the laws. So in such
circumstances ‫حمممما ت‬, it is foolish to
expect that a mere announcement of the
IMF board meeting for considering
Pakistan’s request on a particular date
will end economic uncertainty stemming
‫ کمیمفمیمم‬from the deteriorating ‫بمگمڑہمےہموےمے‬
current account deficit, depleting ‫کمشہوہےش‬
‫ے‬
‫ ہممموےممم ش‬foreign exchange reserves and
galloping ‫ ہیزیشسممممےشبڑھتی‬inflation. The
markets need much more than that: a
clear policy direction for the economy.
More importantly, they want to know if
the government has what it takes to make
tough decisions.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021

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